


In the Dark

by maybeawriter6



Category: LoliRock (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brother-Sister Relationships, Claustrophobia, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Gramorr is a Jerk, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, LoliRock Appreciation Week, Nyctophobia, Phobias, Physical Abuse, Seriously Gramorr Really Messed Them Up, The Twins Care So Much, Trauma, twin angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 05:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11570910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeawriter6/pseuds/maybeawriter6
Summary: Sometimes, a phobia is just that. Other times, it might be based on a traumatic experience.Mephisto’s fear of the dark happens to be the latter.





	In the Dark

   It began, as it so often did, with a day of especially difficult training.

   Praxina, even at 14, was powerful and a great master of the spells she knew. But she always struggled to learn new ones.

   Her attempt fizzled out for the 97th time that day. Yes, Mephisto had been counting, because he knew Gramorr was.

   She cried out in frustration. 98. A chill was seeping through the room.

   "Come on, Prax..." Mephisto encouraged her, but his heart was already sinking.

   A flash of red light, then nothing. 99. Praxina looked at him and he saw his fear mirrored in her expression.

   "Again," Gramorr commanded.

   She turned to Gramorr, hands clasped. "Master, please-"

   "AGAIN!"

   Praxina tried. She really tried. The dark red sphere hovered in front of her for a heartbeat, two heartbeats... then it was nothing but a shower of red sparks.

   "No!" Praxina tried to grab the fading sparks, as if she could force the sphere back together.

   Banes snarled, channeling his master's quiet rage. The twins winced.

   "How very disappointing. Praxina, why can't you learn the most basic of spells?!"

   "I'm trying! Please, my Lord, just give me a little more time!"

   "Waste more of my precious time while you make these half-hearted attempts? No. It's obvious that you require stronger motivation to get anything done."

   Mephisto shut his eyes, shaking. He knew it was pointless to argue. It would just make things worse.

   Praxina looked at him, then back to Gramorr with wide, desperate eyes. "But, Master, Mephisto executed the spell perfectly after, like, three tries!"

   "Which makes your utter failure all the more pathetic."

   "It isn't fair to punish him!"

   "Perhaps not. But it's also the only thing that works on you."

   Gramorr flicked his hand. A wave of magic struck Mephisto and sent him rolling across the floor. He lay limply where he was thrown, teeth grit and eyes squeezed shut. Praxina gasped, feeling his pain as if it were her own, and rushed towards him.

   A massive dome of dark purple crystal formed around Mephisto before she could reach him.

   "Noooooo!" Praxina beat her fists uselessly against the cold surface. She turned to Gramorr and knelt. "Please, Master, _please_ let him out! I'll- I'll practice all night! Just let him go!"

   "Now, now, Praxina..." He sounded as if he were wearing a truly wicked smile under the mask. "...You know the rules. His escape is entirely dependent on you."

   Praxina took a shaky breath and stood, pressing her hand against the crystal. "Mephisto?"

   Deep inside his prison, Mephisto wasn't sure if he had opened his eyes or not. Almost no light filtered through the thick crystal walls. He was enveloped in darkness.

   "Don't freak out," he ordered himself firmly.

   He sat up and hugged his knees to his chest. Panic clawed at his throat, but he was determined to stay calm.

   " _Mephisto,_ " Praxina’s voice was muffled and warped. " _It's okay! I'm gonna get you out!_ "

   Mephisto knew the walls would allow some sound _in_ but not _out,_ so he didn't bother responding.

   Praxina backed up a few steps and shot a barrage of crystal spikes at the dome. Mephisto could feel the impacts, but he could also tell how fruitless they were. He sincerely hoped that was only a warm-up.

   It was, though Praxina was concerned to find it hadn't even scratched the surface. It did, last time.

   She glanced at Gramorr, who watched her with mild amusement. His gloved hand absently stroked Banes' head.

   He'd made it more difficult than before. She must have broken the last one too easily.

   Praxina inhaled deeply, focusing her energy. She could do this. She _had_ to do this.

   The entire throne room was bathed in red light as she fired blast after blast of angry magic at the dome. They got larger and less controlled as she got madder at the lack of effect they were having.

   Mephisto ducked his head, well aware that he could be hurt if she suddenly succeeded. He'd gotten burned or scraped in the past, but thankfully he'd always managed to hide it.

   An incredibly frustrating hour later, Praxina felt close to screaming. None of her attacks had done anything. Not a single chip.

   She bent over, panting as sweat trickled down her face onto the floor.

   Mephisto raised his head. She'd stopped. Why did she stop?

   "Praxina?" he whispered. His voice was immediately swallowed by the darkness.

   Was she hurt? Had she... abandoned him? The panic he'd been fighting started to creep over him.

   Gramorr chuckled quietly. "It would seem Mephisto's stay will be somewhat extended. Perhaps I should remove his 'room' from your sight until you've mastered the spell to free him. So you won't be distracted." He raised his hand, silently delighting in the look of horror on Praxina's face.

   Mephisto couldn't quite make out what Gramorr was saying, but hearing his voice was reason enough for alarm.

   "N-no!" Praxina hurried to insist. "That... won't be necessary, my Lord. I can do the spell."

   He'd given her a hint. Master the spell to free him. One spell. The spell she'd been failing at. That was the solution.

   Mephisto didn't feel any impacts for a long time. He wondered if she'd given up. The mere thought of being trapped forever married his fear of the darkness that seemed to suffocate him. Together, they birthed a terror that burned like ice in his veins and brought tears to his wide eyes. His breathing was as fast and irregular as his heartbeat.

   Praxina lost track of how many times she summoned the red sphere and watched it flicker out of existence. She kept trying, growing increasingly desperate.

   What if she couldn't learn this spell before Gramorr lost patience with her? What if he took Mephisto away for a long time? What if he-

   She swallowed around the lump in her throat. No. She couldn't afford to dwell on that.

   Mephisto was shaking badly, the occasional sob forcing its way out. He had his eyes shut tight against the purple-tinted void but it was still there, just beyond his eyelids.

   He hadn't been a huge fan of the dark _before_ Gramorr started implementing this particular punishment. (Mephisto almost missed the days when he'd just zap him with excruciating pain and have it done with. Now he only did that for minor offenses.)

   The first time hadn't even been that bad. Mephisto had yelled encouragement to Praxina and she'd broken him out in what still stood as record time.

   The second instance had been very different. Praxina couldn't hear him at all, and Mephisto had gotten scared when she kept asking with ever-growing panic if he was all right. He'd screamed himself hoarse trying to answer her, only to discover afterwards that it had all been in vain.

   It had only gotten worse from there. Thicker walls, less light, less outside sound, bigger spells needed to break him out. Once, he'd tried weakening it from the inside, but he couldn't even scratch the crystal. He didn't have enough power.

   "Please hurry, Prax," he whispered, keenly aware it was useless. His fingers were buried in his hair as he shook with quiet sobs.

   Gramorr sighed irritably as Praxina's spell failed yet again. She was running out of time.

   She pressed her hand to the side of the dome, reminding herself firmly that Mephisto was right there. That she wasn't as alone as she felt.

   "I'm..." She paused to steady her voice. "...I'm working on it, Mephisto. Okay? If you can hear me, just... Just stay strong. Okay?!"

   She listened for a response she knew wouldn't come. If she could just hear his voice one time, just to reassure her that he was okay. That he was still there and hadn't somehow vanished.

   For once, both twins wanted the same thing at the same time. Mephisto would have happily given his left leg to be able to answer her right then.

   "How touching," Gramorr grumbled. "I grow weary of this, Praxina. This is easily the longest you've ever taken."

   Praxina tried the spell again but her hands were shaking far too much to give her even a chance of casting it.

   "Maybe you'd better sleep on it," he continued. There was a cold laughter sheathed in his voice. "Try again in the morning with a clearer head, perhaps."

   Praxina froze, pupils shrinking in horror. No. He couldn't spend the whole night in there. And she couldn't spend it without him. She couldn't be alone that long, she just couldn't.

   She didn't waste time protesting, instead pouring all her focus into the spell.

   Mephisto’s cries subsided when he heard Praxina's grunts of effort. He felt a very slight vibration through the walls. Another. This kept up for several minutes. The impacts were getting stronger but not strong enough.

   Praxina was exhausted. The endless spells had drained her. She finally collapsed to her knees, holding her head.

   She couldn't do it. She couldn't save him. She wasn't good enough.

   Praxina was all alone, and it was her own fault.

   "I'm so sorry, Mephisto!" A harsh, angry sob escaped her. "I'm sorry you don't have a better sister to save you!"

   Mephisto's heart broke. She sounded so defeated. It was so foreign and _wrong_ and it hurt.

   Gramorr said nothing. He was enjoying himself immensely. Banes was purring in a loud, contented manner.

   Praxina soon fell apart completely, crying hot, stinging tears of despair and rage. Her sobs became uncontrollable.

   "Praxina!" Mephisto stood and beat his fist uselessly against the crystal. "PRAXINA! Please, don't... I'm fine... I'm..." He choked on a sob. Tears rolled down his face as his whole chest ached for her.

   Mephisto couldn't just... just sit there and listen to her, like this. Not when she needed him so badly.

   There was suddenly a determined glint in his eyes.

   He _wouldn't_ just sit there. He refused to.

   Not entirely certain what he planned on doing, Mephisto instinctively backed up a few steps, standing in the middle of the dome.

   "PRAX!" He shouted, hoping maybe that even if the sound couldn't reach her, the _feeling_ might. "PRAX, JUST HANG ON!"

   He shut his eyes. Inhaled slowly, let it out even slower. Focused all his concentration, all his power, on this one spell.

   A magic circle appeared around his feet, casting bright green light up onto him and his surroundings.

   He'd have to be quick. The walls absorbed magic, draining his energy. Which was why he could never keep a spell going long enough to keep the darkness at bay.

   When he opened his eyes, they glowed an angry green. A wind with no source rushed around him, blasting his hair and cape up into the air.

“ _Malefius Magnatum!_ ” He recited with perfect pronunciation.

   A green sphere formed in front of him, growing as he held it there.

   His legs quivered with the effort and sweat ran down his neck. Praxina's muffled sobs still reached his ears through the dull roar of the wind. He clung to the sound, drawing strength from his feelings.

   The sphere grew, the light getting brighter. Cracks began to form in the walls.

   Banes stopped purring suddenly, drawing Gramorr's attention to the dome. Green light was leaking from inside, and the whole structure was starting to vibrate.

   "What the-"

   A blast shook the room, purple crystal scattering as a dust cloud rose where Mephisto’s prison had stood. He stumbled from the rubble, coughing.

   Praxina had thrown her arm up to shield herself from the explosion, and was now staring at him with huge, wet eyes. "M-Mephisto?"

   Mephisto looked at her like she was the sun itself. He rushed over and fell to his knees in front of her. He grabbed her hands reassuringly.

   "Are you hurt?" he asked.

   She shook her head. "No. Are you?"

   He gave a half smile. "No. I'm fine." He wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm here, okay? I'm fine. We're both fine."

   Praxina was overcome with a fresh wave of tears. She grabbed him hard enough to hurt, but neither cared. He ran his hand through her hair soothingly as she sobbed into his shoulder.

   "Prax, it's okay," he whispered. "I'm here. It's okay. We're okay."

   Banes gave a quiet snarl. Mephisto looked up and met Gramorr’s disapproving gaze.

   Gramorr was simultaneously impressed and furious at the turn this had taken.

   Mephisto hugged his sister tighter and bared his teeth at their master, his whole expression a challenge.

    _Do something to her. I dare you._

   Gramorr wasn't one to take dares, however. He could see the rebellious fire burning in Mephisto’s eyes. Things weren't likely to go in a favorable direction for any of them if Gramorr chose to push this issue.

   He'd rather not have to kill Mephisto today. It would be a messy business, more than likely resulting in Praxina forcing his hand. Training new subordinates from scratch, after all the time and effort he'd wasted on these two...

   "Unexpected," he finally said, carefully keeping the anger from his voice, "but I will allow it. I will expect you to have mastered that spell by sunrise, Praxina."

   Mephisto was still glaring at him as Praxina pulled away to nod.

   "Y-yes, Master. Thank you." She glanced significantly at Mephisto.

   He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "...Yes, thank you, your most merciful darkness." His compliments rang far hollower than usual.

   Gramorr waved his hand, dismissing them, then glided through a door into to his private refuge. He found he had a splitting headache.

   He also made a mental note to look into magic-dampening shackles for next time.

   This disaster must not be repeated.

   Mephisto sagged with relief once he left. He gently turned Praxina's face back towards him. Her eyes were red, as his were, and her cheeks were still wet. He wiped the tears away with his thumb.

   "I..." Praxina swallowed. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't save you."

   "Hey." He smiled at her. "We can save _each other._ Okay?"

   She sniffled. "But I'm supposed to be the older one, the responsible one. The strong one. I'm supposed to protect you, Mephisto."

  “No, Praxina, listen to me.” He leaned in to make her look at him. "You don't need to be the strong one all the time. Let _me_ protect _you,_ once a while."

   She gave him a watery smile. "Okay."

   Praxina wondered what she'd ever done to deserve such a good brother. The answer was nothing. She didn't deserve him. There was so much kindness in him, no matter how deep he tried to bury it.

   A familiar flash of guilt crossed her mind, like a shadow. He shouldn't be here. He didn't belong on the dark side. This was all her fault.

   He gently stroked her hair and gave her a little peck on the forehead, as he always did when she looked truly miserable, and she realized what a selfish person she really was. Because she couldn't be sorry that he was here with her. She couldn't wish she was alone. She couldn't bring herself to even imagine sending him away to safety.

   Besides, she thought with a little smile, he'd never let her.

   "We're in this together," he said, his train of thought echoing hers. "Okay? Together. It's us vs. the world, remember?"

   Praxina's smile grew and she looked more like her usual wicked self. "Yes. Us vs. the world."

   That was the way it had always been, just the two of them, and that was the way it would always be.

   Or so they thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos/Comments are very much appreciated!


End file.
